June 2022 - WA Transport Magazine (Western Australia)

Page 6

Main Roads News

HVS Temporary Special Assistance Flood Relief Permits

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ighty percent of the freight which comes into WA from the rest of Australia is carried on the East-West rail line. In January and February 2022 the rail line was closed in South Australia due to severe flooding. The closure of the East-West rail line meant that for a time road transport

became the only way that the movement of freight into and out of WA could occur. To help manage the disruption to freight movement which resulted from the rail closure, Main Roads developed two Temporary Special Assistance Flood Relief Permits as part of a nationally coordinated emergency response to increase the

Great Northern Highway Convoys

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t the beginning of April, loads in excess of 4.5 metres wide were restricted from travelling on Great Northern Highway between Mount Magnet and Paynes Find, due to flooding.The restrictions led to a backlog of over 20 Over Size Over Mass (OSOM) loads which were parked up at Mount Magnet and Paynes Find and unable to travel on this section of Highway. Working alongside colleagues in the Mid-West Gascoyne Region, Heavy Vehicle Services developed a plan to enable the loads to safely travel along the Highway.

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WATM • June 2022

On 6 April, OSOM loads exceeding 5.5 metres wide were able to depart under Traffic Escort, in staged convoys of up to six loads in each convoy. • The first convoy departed Mount Magnet, travelling south on the Highway while the road remained closed to northbound traffic. • The second convoy, travelling north from Paynes Find, was able to depart once the OSOM loads travelling south passed Paynes Find. Several convoys were approved for travel in each direction, with up to six vehicles in each convoy.

amount of goods and materials that could be brought into Western Australia, to help ease supply chain shortages. The two Flood Relief Permits were to: • permit 53.5 metre long triple road trains to travel from the WA border to the Kalgoorlie Intermodal Terminal,

Hedland Road and Rail Safety Improvement Projects - Great Northern Highway between Powell and Buttweld Streets

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n collaboration with BHP, Main Roads is constructing two new roadover-rail bridges, realigning two major intersections and building two new roundabouts in the Hedland area. This package of work will remove three road/rail conflicts to significantly improve road safety and transport


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